


Caught Up

by lrrajjmn



Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types
Genre: Attemped Sexual Assault, Drug Use, F/M, Sex, mentions of parental abuse, there may be more added later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-26
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-05-29 07:49:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6365464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lrrajjmn/pseuds/lrrajjmn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She could feel the grate moving beneath her, though it was difficult to tell in what direction it was traveling in her disoriented state. She realized she was sobbing only after she felt cold tears drip down onto the back of her hand. She couldn't hear her own desperate cries over the grind of metal against metal. It went on forever. The lift shifted and shook as it traveled toward wherever it was taking her. Hours later, if her sense of time was at all faithful, the lift ground to a rocky halt and with an awkward jerk, sent her sprawling across the floor. </p><p>"It's a shucking girl!"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Neophobia

She was freezing. Her skin cold as ice despite the humid air surrounding....

  
Surrounding what? She could feel a cold metal grate beneath her palms, digging into her flesh and leaving an imprint in her skin. The air smelled of fresh dirt and sweat but it was to dark to see anything. Panic was quickly settling in the pit of her stomach as she crawled blindly across the.....Cage?

  
' _Lift_ ,' her brain supplied.

  
And it was. She could feel the grate moving beneath her, though it was difficult to tell in what direction it was traveling in her disoriented state. She realized she was sobbing only after she felt cold tears drip down onto the back of her hand. She couldn't hear her own desperate cries over the grind of metal against metal. It went on forever. The lift shifted and shook as it traveled toward wherever it was taking her. Hours later, if her sense of time was at all faithful, the lift ground to a rocky halt and with an awkward jerk, sent her sprawling across the floor.

  
Everything fell silent. The only sound was heavy panting as she struggled to stand on shaky legs. Something clicked and clanked above her and the ceiling quickly fell away. Bright light flooded the lift and blinded her, the rays of sunlight burned through her eyelids and cast a yellow glow across her vision. She had to throw her hands up to shield them. There were long shadows moving against the light and a barrage of loud voices seemed to be speaking all at once.

  
"Good, I'm ready for someone to take my place as Greenie."

  
"I hope he's got some carpentry experience, we could really use a new builder."

  
"MOVE! All of you! Let me through so I can pull up the Greenie!"

  
_Greenie_? Were they talking about her? Her name wasn't Greenie, was it? She blinked up into the light, squinting to see who was speaking but was instantly knocked backward by the weight of someone jumping down inches from where she'd been standing.

  
He was big. _Really_ big.

  
His hair was thick and short, tinted red by the light of the sun. His cheeks were slightly sun-burnt and dusted with freckles. His eyes were a pale green.

  
Other than his stocky size, the most notable thing about him was the shape of his eyebrows. It was as if he had spent hours grooming them into that quirky shape. They made him look like he lived in an almost constant state of irritability.

  
But right now was different.

  
Right now they were raised in surprise. His eyes were wide and his lips were parted slightly as if he was fighting to get the words to leave his mouth.

  
"What's the hold up Gally?" Someone called down from above them.

  
'Gally' audibly swallowed, his voice coming out as barely more than a whisper.

  
"Girl...."

  
"What? You're going to have to speak up if you want anyone to bloody hear you..." This voice sounded strange, foreign in a way that she couldn't quite place. Gally balled up his fist and for a split second she thought he meant to strike her. Instead, he spun around to face the others and shouted up at them.

  
"It's a shucking girl!"

  
Silence fell over the group for what seemed like an eternity. No one dared to move.

  
It was terrifying.

  
What did they plan to do to her? Why would they bring her here? Who were these people? Her whole body shook with fear and anticipation. A strangled sob fell from her lips when she tried to speak. The sound made Gally turn back toward her. His eyes began to roam over her, searching for who knows what. His expression seemed suspicious but he did not move or say anything.

  
There was no way out of this. She was trapped in a lift with a boy much larger than her and there were more of them waiting up above. She was sure she couldn't fight them off and it was unlikely that she would be able to outrun them all even if she managed to get free. So she did the only thing that seemed logical, she pushed herself down onto her knees and focused on looking this boy in the eyes.

  
"I-It's Gally, right?" Her voice sounded strained and desperate but she was doing her best to appear submissive. If she could just get this boy on her side...

  
Gally continued to stare but his eyes did seem to soften, if only a little. He swallowed hard and gave her a curt nod. This was quite possibly the strangest thing he'd seen in his three years as a Glader...

  
"Ok Gally...That's a really nice name."

  
Flirting. Flirting was the only way to describe what she was attempting to do. She could remember what flirting was but she wasn't sure whether she had actually attempted it before now. Not to mention she had no idea what she actually looked like...

  
_Whatever it takes to survive._

  
"Please don't hurt me Gally. I'll do whatever you want. Anything...Just..." She slid closer to him, the grate scraping painfully against her knees. "Just please don't hurt me."

  
Something flashed in Gally's eyes but another body came down and jostled the lift, whatever it had been was gone before she even got the chance to decipher what it could mean. There was no time left to share alone with him. If he did not trust her or at least connect with her in some way...

  
She jumped up and wrapped herself around Gally's waist. The boy initially stumbled backward, then went rigid beneath her touch. She couldn't see his face but she knew he must be shocked, if not disgusted, by her actions.

  
"Gally! Gally help me! Please!"

  
Whoever had come down to join them did not say anything. They were likely just as surprised at the scene that was unfolding as Gally seemed to be.

  
"Gally, do you know this girl?" This boy sounded so calm, though there was a note of authority in his voice that was unmistakable.

  
"I...I don't know...I don't think so."

  
The new addition to the lift moved in closer. She could hear his shoes squeaking against the grate.

  
"It's alright sweetie. No one is going to hurt you." He gently placed a hand on her shoulder but she flinched away as if he had struck her, standing up on her tip-toes so that she could bury her face in Gally's neck.

  
He returned the gesture by wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him. Suddenly, Gally was no longer an angry mix of mistrust and confusion. He was strong and protective. He was everything she wanted from him. It had paid off.

  
"I've got her Alby. I'll take her to the homestead and find her a place to sleep. She can't spend her nights out here with the boys."

  
"I'm trusting you not to try anything. She is clearly very vulnerable right now and I'd hate for someone to abuse her trust."

  
Gally's eyes narrowed at that but he did not respond. He scooped her up into his arms and climbed out of the lift, completely ignoring all the questions and comments that followed the two of them out.

  
"Shuck it is a girl!"

  
"Hey sweetheart! Aren't you cute?"

  
She's gonna be mine so keep your hands off!"

  
She could see all of their faces as they passed each one by. Some were younger and some were older but they were all male. Gally was fuming by the time they made it out of the crowd. Taking long strides to get her out of there quickly, they began walking toward a dilapidated building that looked to have been hastily constructed. Outside the front door, a boy stood waiting for him. He had shaggy blonde hair, big brown eyes, and wore a grimy, oversized white shirt that was opened half way to reveal a hairless chest. His face was soft and kind. Thin and tall (though not nearly as tall as Gally) and when he spoke, she immediately recognized his accent from earlier.

  
"Put her in my room. I can find some place else to sleep."

  
Inside the Homestead, the three of them climbed a creaky set of stairs that lead to a thin hallway with several open doors. They stopped at the third and the blonde led the way inside.

  
"I know it's nothing special but it works." He beamed at her and it made her feel a little more relaxed. She knew she needed to be vigilant. She was in a man's bedroom with said man and another that she assumed was his friend. She didn't know where she was or even who she was and she had basically just confessed to one of these men that she would do anything to stay alive, even if it meant giving herself to him.

  
'That must be why he brought me here...To share me with his friend,' she thought bitterly. Looking down at herself, she found that she was wearing jeans and a long sleeved green shirt. She fiddled with the hem of the shirt for a moment before she got the guts to start pulling it over her head.

  
"Woah woah. What are you doing love?" The blonde boy held his hand out as if to calm her.

  
She tossed the shirt onto the floor with shaky hands and then reached back behind her to unclasp her bra. Gally grabbed both of her wrists hard, squeezing more than was probably necessary.

  
"Don't." It was nothing short of a growl.

  
"But...I thought...I told you I would."

  
"Don't."

  
He shoved her hands back down to her sides while the blonde boy fetched her top. Gally made as if to leave but he stopped in the doorway and turned to face her one last time.

  
"What you said to me down in the box...About how you'd do anything...Begging me..." That same look she had seen earlier flashed across his face once more yet still she wasn't sure what to make of it. In an instant, his eyes locked onto hers, fierce and powerful. "Don't talk like that to anyone else. Got it? The rest aren't quite as nice as I am."

  
And with that he was gone.

  
"Nice is a bit of an exaggeration..." The blonde boy mumbled. "I'm Newt by the way. Do you remember your name yet?" She shook her head. "Well that's fine love, none of the Greenies can remember their names when they first come up out of the box."

  
There it was again Greenie. "What's a Greenie? And what's the box?"

  
Newt sighed and sat on the end of the bed. "Alby will go over all of that tomorrow when you have the tour. All you need to know for now is that you're special." For whatever reason, the comment made her blush. "You are the first girl we have ever had in the Glade. But know this, we all come up here in that box the same as you with no memories at all. The only thing we ever remember is our names. We have built a life here and we all stick together to make things work. Now, you are safe here. I will lock the door and I'm going to be sleeping out in the hall in case you need anything. Get some sleep."

  
He grinned and left the room, leaving her alone. So many questions were swimming in her head, how was she supposed to get any sleep?


	2. I Name Thee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'We always dream we just don't always remember what we dream.'

She woke to the sound of heavy footfalls on squeaky floorboards. She wasn't ready to wake up yet. The world of dreams seemed so enticing in the early morning hours...Maybe she was dreaming even now.

' _We always dream we just don't always remember what we dream._ '

The words swam up into her brain so clearly that she could almost hear them. But she could not recall who had said them. It was like her mind could provide clips or phrases but could not link them back to a particular person or place. Finally, she gathered enough energy to open her eyes.

And she really wished she hadn't.

A massive dark shadow stood tall and menacing at the foot of the bed. She would have screamed if the shadow hadn't chosen that moment to light a match, illuminating a freckled face.

"Gally," she breathed. Memories of the night before came flooding back all at once. Her old life, her family, her past; they were all gone. She knew virtually nothing about this place or it's inhabitants.

She felt trapped.

"It's time for breakfast." He looked her over for a moment, frowning. It was too dark to see much of anything as he fumbled his way over to the window and pulled away the makeshift curtains. Pale morning light brightened the entire room. "Come on, I'll take you there."

  
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Gally followed uncomfortably close behind her as they made their way to Frypan's kitchen.

"Why do you call him Frypan?" It seemed so strange that everyone else appeared to have gotten semi-believable names; and then there was Frypan. "I thought you said everyone remembers their name eventually?"

"He remembers. He just won't tell anyone. He has insisted we call him by that name from the beginning." She hadn't really thought about that until now. What if she remembered her own name and it was horrendous? Would she make something up? Whatever the kids true name was, it must have been pretty awful for him to willingly go by Frypan. She got in line behind someone with semi-short blonde hair and oversized ears. He had turned around when he heard her speaking to Gally and he now appeared to be staring wide-eyed at the two of them.

"Oh right you Runners were in the Map Room yesterday when she came up." Gally gave her a little tap with his index finger as if he thought the other boy wouldn't be able to figure out who he meant by 'she'.

She swatted his hand away. "Pleased to meet you. I'm..." But no matter how hard she struggled to remember, nothing surfaced. Her new acquaintance blinked several times and looked between her and Gally like he expected one of them to supply the words he couldn't seem to find.

"This shuckface is Ben. Apparently he's too lovestruck to remember his own name." She had expected Ben to react poorly to 'shuckface' (whatever it might mean, it didn't sound like a compliment). Instead, he doubled over in an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

"Well call me a Griever! A girl in the Glade! Minho!" He called over to a dark headed asian boy sitting at a nearby table, "come get a look at the Greenie! It's a girl!"

Minho glanced around the line of hungry Gladers until he spotted her. He grinned and waved as if the two of them had been friends for years. Now it was her turn to be shocked. Minho was calm and casual as he strolled over to where they were standing. He seemed to be the exact opposite of almost everyone she had met so far. It was somewhat refreshing.

"Welcome to the Glade Greenie. Hope you can stomach Frypan's cooking."

  
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Newt was waiting for them when they got back to the Homestead. He nodded at Gally, clearly signaling that he expected the brute to leave. Gally crossed his arms defiantly, "what? why can't you say whatever it is you want to say to her in front of me?"

The lanky blonde was rubbing his temples as if the mere thought of explaining this to Gally was giving him a headache.

"Alby's...Busy today. he want's me to give our Greenie the tour. Good that?"

"...I just don't see why I wouldn't be able to tag along-"

"We get it Gally! You want to protect her and keep her safe from the big bad Gladers but as second in command, I think I can do a bloody fine job of it myself."

Clearly this reaction was not what Gally had expected. He seemed surprised that Newt would lash out at him like that and she couldn't say she blamed him for feeling attacked. She certainly wouldn't claim to know Newt as she had only met him a few hours prior but his reaction did seem a bit off from what she had seen so far.

Gally's hands flew up in agitated surrender and he stalked past New without another word. Once Gally was out of earshot, Newt reverted back to his old self. "How was your day love? You making friends?"

He was smiling from ear to ear and it seemed to be contagious. "Err...Well I don't feel like I know much of anything at this point. But I don't feel threatened by anyone I've met so far either...I just feel...Lost?"

His smile faltered at that but it was immediately replaced by a look of genuine concern. "I know what you're feeling right now but trust me when I say this; it will get better. No one could ever be happy living in a place like this...But it does get better."

That smile was back as quickly as it had left. "Once you learn your name it sort of grounds you a bit more so that's something to look forward to."

His hand was warm on her shoulder, though she wasn't entirely sure when he had put it there.

  
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They had been walking around the Glade for about two hours now. Newt was pointing to anything and everything they passed while talking quickly about what it was used for. It was a lot to take in.

"So now that you know enough about how the Glade functions, we need to find a job for you." He stopped walking but continued to gesture in all directions. "The Builders obviously build and update the klunk around here, Gally is their keeper. Bricknecks are like Builders but those shanks focus on repairs. Cooks prepare meals but I suppose you could have figured that one out on your own. Baggers....Well I guess we can call them guards?"

She frowned. "But how does the term 'Bagger' fit in?"

Newt was scratching the back of his neck nervously. He clearly wasn't planning on telling her the answer to that question. "That's just what we call them love. Med-jacks are like our doctors, Slicers raise and...Err slaughter the meat. Track-hoes tend the gardens. And then there are the Sloppers. They do all the dirty work that no one else wants to do. I want you to meet one of them. This way."

Newt brought her around to what could only be described as a massive pile of manure. Several boys were bringing buckets back from the Bloodhouse and dumping them in. "Chuck!"

She had almost missed him.

Half hidden behind the pile, a very young boy with a mop of curly brown hair and a pudgy stomach was struggling to lift his bucket far enough away from himself so as not to dump it into his own shoes. "Get over here Chuck! There's someone I want you to meet."

Chuck practically bounced over to them. His grin was so wide, she thought his cheeks might split. "Hey Newt!"

"Chuck, this is our new Greenie." The little guy brought his attention to her. "Oh! The girl! I'm so glad you showed up! I was getting sick of being the Greenie..."

Newt waved him off, "Yeah yeah. I just want you to help her out. You know what it's like being Greenie so help her get acquainted. Good that?"

"Good that!" he practically yelled.

"So go to Chuck anytime you can't find me, alright love?"

It sort of sounded like he was implying something...

"You don't want me to be around Gally, do you?"

Newt furrowed his brow and looked back at Chuck. Of course he didn't want to talk about this around a loud mouthed kid like their youngest Glader tended to be. "Get back to work for now."

Check's shoulders visibly slumped but he did as he was told. "Listen love. I'm happy Gally was there for you and all. It's just...He can have a bit of a temper. He doesn't always think before he acts and I don't want you hurt. You see the way he has been acting. I wouldn't want you to get caught up just because some bloody shank has feelings for you..."

"F-Feelings for me?!" She stammered. "I may have taken it a bit too far with him yesterday but he is just a horny teenager...Nothing more."

"Whatever you want to call it is fine, just be careful."

This brought another thought to the forefront. What if someone in the Glade did develop romantic feelings for her eventually? She hoped she wouldn't be here long enough for that to happen but she had to be realistic...

"One last thing to discuss. Follow me."

They walked to the nearest wall of the Glade. It was a massive slab of stone, grown over with thick ivy vines. For the first time since she'd come here, she noticed a wide opening. "There's an exit?!"

"Not an exit love. Out there is the Maze." He pointed out into the wide corridor that led away from the Glade. "That's where the runners go during the day. They try to solve it so that we can all get out of here."

This place they called the Glade was just starting to make sense...And now this...

"Wait, but then why aren't we all out there helping?"

Newt sighed, musing his hair as he tried to find the right words. "It's not safe out there. There are these...Creatures called Grievers and if you get stuck out there at night...Well...No one has lived to tell about it."

It was like Newt had just punched her straight in the gut. She stumbled backward in shock, clutching the wall while she tried to catch her breath. "Baggers...Bodies...People die here!"

"Woah!" Newt grabbed hold of her shoulders to steady her. "Calm down love. I won't let anything happen to you. Just relax."

But it was all too much. The memory lose, the Glade, and the Grievers...

Her vision was becoming cloudy, black spots danced around dangerously and she could feel herself falling. She barely felt her head hit the wall or Newt's arms around her as he caught her just before she hit the ground.

 

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" _Rosalind_ "

The word stuck out like a neon sign in a dark alley, searing her brain and making her head spin. She could hear voices now.

"All that klunk about protecting her and you make her faint!"

"At least I'm not fawning over her like a lost puppy!"

"You just wish it was you that pulled her out of the box. She trusts me. I know you like her too."

Nothing made any sense.

There was only one thing that her brain seemed to be able to process.

'Rosalind' was repeated like a mantra until she couldn't stand it anymore. Her eyes flew open and she sat straight up.

"Rosalind!" She panted.

Both boys jumped but Newt recovered quickly. "Well well, look who decided to join the land of the living." He gave her a relieved smile and this time she was able to return it genuinely.

"My name is Rosalind."


	3. The Forest For The Trees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A walk with Gally

After her dramatic fall at the maze entrance, the boys kept her in bed most of the following day. This made things much worse, as it gave her the entire day to think about what lurked beyond those walls...

Newt brought breakfast and lunch up to the room and, by the time Gally showed up around dinner time, she was feeling antsy.

"You'll have to go get dinner for yourself tonight. We are holding a gathering and since I'm a Keeper I have to attend." He glared out the window at the Glade below. A gathering was the last thing he wanted to do after all that had happened the previous day.

Rosalind had to admit, she liked that she could always tell what Gally was feeling. "It's fine Gally. Thank you for taking such good care of me."

He glanced back over at her with raised eyebrows. The small smile currently gracing her thin lips made a tingling feeling run down his spin but he shook it off before she saw him twitch.

"Y-yeah..." He had to build up the courage to say what he had really come to say.

"Hey...If you wanted...I could come back...You know...After the gathering,"the generally hostile teenager couldn't even look at her as he struggled to find the words. "We could...Talk...Or something..."

She didn't miss the rush of pink on his freckled cheeks. "That sounds great Gally. But..."

Bracing himself for inevitable rejection, he unconsciously dug his fingernails into his folded arms.

"I've sorta been indoors all day. Could we go for a walk instead?"

This response was much better than the alternative. "Uhh..Yeah we can. I'll try to make this gathering go quickly but no guarantees...Good tha-I mean ok?"

She laughed, "good that."

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It was a clamor of noisy voices down at Frypan's kitchen. Rosalind wasn't sure who had heard about her little incident the day before or how they would react when they did so she chose a far off table alone. The walls of the Glade cast massive shadows over the grass and cooled the place down considerably. It was nice having some time to herself. She was just starting to relax when someone yelled "GREENIE!" almost directly into her left ear.

Chuck was close enough to have a full conversation at a normal volume and yet he seemed to be in a constant state of overexcitement. "Hi Chuck."

Potato soup slopped out onto his hand as he jogged to the opposite side of the table. "Anyone sitting here?"

Chuck glanced down at the long empty table and she had to fight the urge to be sarcastic and tell him she was just waiting on her 20 other friends. "Be my guest."

Immediately, he started shoveling down huge spoonfuls of soup. "So...How's it going?"

How was it going? Other than the mishap the previous morning, she supposed she was accepting the whole situation a lot quicker than she had expected. "Other than being the only girl trapped in a Glade full of boys? Going great."

He sucked on his spoon thoughtfully before he replied. "What's so bad about being the only girl? All the guys will do whatever you want and you will get all the attention..."

"I don't want to explain this to a little kid..."

Chuck groaned, "I'm 13 Greenie!...Probably..."

' _And how old am I_?' She wondered.

"Well Mr. All-Grown-Up, what happens if one guy wants me all to himself? What happens if they fight? Or if they expect to get more from me than just my attention?"

Blushing, the youngest Glader cleared his throat. "Well yeah I suppose you're right. But don't worry Greenie; I told Newt I'd take care of you and that's what I plan to do."

"A: That's not what you told him and B: My name is Rosalind."

He shrugged, "all the newbies go by Greenie. I did it and now you have to."

"So much for getting special treatment," she mumbled "how often does the box come up anyway?"

"Once a month."

That seemed like a long time to wait...

She finished her soup with Chuck blabbering on about various things. She was only half listening. When he finally stopped to take a breath, she stood up. "Well I suppose I should see if I can't find Newt."

Chuck jumped up as well, "he's at the gathering with the others."

"He is? But he didn't tell me he was a Keeper..."

 _'Why would he keep that a secret_?'

The curly headed youngster rolled his eyes at her, clearly he had expected her to have all the answers by now. "He's not a Keeper, he's second in command to Alby so he always attends gatherings."

Newt had mentioned that, but he was so kind and friendly it was hard to believe he was in a position of authority. Although, he had shown that he was capable of leading yesterday when he told Gally off.

' _Just be careful._ '

Newt's words popped back into her head. She would be going on something of a date with Gally within the next few hours. Should she be worried about it? He certainly didn't seem like the type of person she should be weary of. Neither Gally nor Newt had taken advantage of her on her first night in the Glade, even though in her eyes, they had every right to. She didn't know anything about her life before the Glade, but she seemed to be a very trusting and accepting person.

Or maybe she was just a leach that fed on anyone that could be of use...

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Gally had come to pick her up just after the sun went down. She had even showered for the occasion. They walked slowly around the edge of the Dead Heads. The roots of the trees were thick and gnarled here but there was enough light to avoid tripping. After maybe half an hour, they stopped and sat down on a wide stump.

Gally suddenly looked serious. "Newt will tell you more about this tomorrow. In fact, I probably shouldn't even be saying anything...But I feel like you should know."

A lump settled in her throat.

"That gathering was about you. We were trying to decide how we were going to handle things with you being a girl and all that. We have to be careful...Newt seems to think you should do whatever makes you feel comfortable but I disagree."

Gally was trying hard not to look her in the eyes when he said this. Instead, he kept his own glued to the grass around their feet as if it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. "There are guys in the Glade that I know will try something if they get the opportunity. You can't be too careful. Most of these boys are completely driven by their hormones and if you end up alone with one of them..." He grabbed a large piece of bark and tore it from the stump, rage clear on his features. He tossed it far out into the woods behind them.

"I've been thinking about that too," she admitted. "Newt said you know virtually nothing about the people who put us here. I just keep wondering why they would put a teenage girl together with a bunch of boys. What could they possibly be trying to achieve? The only thing I can think...Is that they are trying to breed us."

Gally stood up so fast, she almost fell over backward.

He put his hands on her shoulders and stared intently into her startled eyes. "Rosalind. Please. Whatever you do, do _not_ tell the others about this theory. I'm sure it's what many of us are thinking but I don't want anyone getting any ideas. Don't let WICKED get the satisfaction of seeing them pressure you into doing something...If you find someone you truly want to be with, then that is a totally different story. Just...Be careful."

She was starting to feel a bit sick of everyone telling her to be careful...

"I will Gally."  
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They walked back to the Homestead in silence. Her thoughts were on how Gally had acted. He was so sincere and so....Caring....

When they made it to the door of the bedroom she was sleeping in, he turned to leave without a word. The genuine attempt at showing her he cared was clearly over.

"Gally!" She called after him.

He was already part way down the stairs but he turned back to her, "Yeah?"

She gave him a sly grin. "If this was a date, then shouldn't I get a goodnight kiss?"

Red as a tomato, he stood stock still for several moments. She was just about to tell him she had been joking when he stalked back up the stairs in a rush, grabbed her head rather roughly, and smashed their lips together in an awkward and sloppy fashion.

It was like she was in a trance...

Had that really just happened?

In an instant, he had disappeared back down the stairs and out the front door.

Maybe Newt was right. Maybe Gally did have feelings for her.


	4. To The Core

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Thomas.

"A bonfire?" She repeated.

"Yeah, we always have a fire for the newbies."

Today, she was helping Newt pull weeds in the garden. The bean plants were practically overrun by weeds at this point. There weren't many jobs in the Glade that a girl could easily accomplish, so Newt had pulled some strings and gotten her in as a track-hoe without having to shadow all the Keepers. In truth, he just wanted her close so that he could keep an eye on her. "I wanted to talk to you about the gathering we had last night."

She did her best to act oblivious. "What about it?"

"Well...We sort of just talked a lot about you...I mean, don't get me wrong, I am happy to give my room to you permanently but Alby and Gally feel you need your own place with your own shower..."

She thought about it for a moment. She had been showering with everyone else and hadn't really been worried about it. No one had tried to take a peek at her yet so it seemed fine...

"I personally think you should do what you are comfortable with. You may be a girl, but you should be accepted, just like everyone else. You shouldn't have to go out of your way to make those shanks behave."

"I'm glad you fought for me Newt." She said, reaching over to give his hand a little squeeze.

"Yeah, I just wish I had won that argument. They are going to start building your room tomorrow."

"I don't see why you and I can't just share that room..." It made more sense to her to utilize the space they already had.

Newt waggled his eyebrows suggestively, "are you trying to tell me something Rosie?"

The day she had woken from her fainting spell at the edge of the Glade, she had remembered her name. Newt and Gally were both there when she opened her eyes. Newt had smiled at her when she told him.

" _Rosie it is then._ "

He had called her that ever since. It made her stomach flutter.

"You know what I meant!" She laughed, "just have them put another bed in there."

"Gally would never let that happen and you know it." This gave him a rather sour expression. He started cutting at the roots a little too roughly with the spade. But Rosalind knew he was right.

"Yeah well...It all goes back to how I wish I could make my own choices."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few hours later, Newt stood and brushed his dirty hands off on his stained pants. "I think that's enough work for one day. We should go get ready for the bonfire."

He lead the way back to the Homestead. When they were close enough to the front door that she knew she could make a run for it, she mustered up the courage to turn around and face him. His eyebrows were raised in question as she stalked over to stand in front of him. Stepping up close enough that they were just barely touching, she stood on her tiptoes to she could whisper seductively into his ear. "It's not like I'd say no to sharing a bed with you."

Without waiting to see his reaction, she took off into the Homestead.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'I probably shouldn't have done that,' she thought as she fought through brushing out the tangles in her hair. She was just about to give up and toss the stupid comb when a blaring alarm sounded from the middle of the Glade. Panicked, Rosalind took the steps two at a time as she ran to where a crowd of Gladers stood in a tight circle around the box. More were rushing in from all directions, their work completely abandoned. She spotted Gally as he ran up to join her.

"What's happening?" She panted.

"I don't know. That's the sound it makes when a new Greenie comes up but..."

"Chuck told me Greenie's only come up once a month?"

Gally's face was grim, "it's been the same for three years. Once a month. First they send a girl and now this? What changed?"

When the box finally ground to a halt, Gally helped Alby pull it open. No one spoke for several minutes, unsure of what might be inside. Gally finally came back out, clutching the front of the new guy's shirt before tossing him unceremoniously onto the grass. He was pale skinned with contrasting raven hair. She couldn't see him well from this distance but many of the nearby Gladers seemed to be taunting him. In a flash of movement, the Greenie had shoved passed the circle of Gladers and taken off toward the walls. Laughter and shouting erupted all around her as the Greenie sprinted passed the Homestead. He was faster than anyone she'd seen in her short store of memories; up until he tripped over his own legs and rolled onto the grass in a heap. Most of the other boys were doubled over by this point and roaring with laughter but something was keeping her from joining in the fun. The boy looked around him. Pure panic was clear on his features as he slowly stood and spun around to take the place in. Her heart dropped into her stomach, she needed to calm this kid down before he did something stupid. Without thinking, she took off after him. She ignored Gally's shouts and the footsteps that followed close behind. When she was less than a dozen feet from the Greenie, he gave a startled grunt and held up his hands, nearly tripping over his own feet again. Strong arms grabbed her round the waist and yanked her roughly back.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Gally shouted, shaking her shoulders painfully.

Afraid. She was very afraid.

"G-Gally...I-I just-"

He was shaking with rage and she could feel his nails digging into her flesh. But she had to stay strong. He didn't own her.

Swallowing hard and doing her best to stand tall, she looked past Gally and straight at the boy who was staring at her with wide, frightened eyes. "It's alright. I know you're scared and confused. We're all scared at first. None of us can remember anything. You aren't alone."

That was all she managed to say before Gally yanked her back away from the boy and back toward the Homestead, cursing and spitting under his breath.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?!" He shoved her back into Newt's room and she heard the lock click behind them.

"I was helping him! A lot more than I could say for the rest of you..."

Back talk was clearly not helping. Gally balled up his fists and ranted on, "he could have seriously hurt you! You don't even know him! A desperate kid who has no idea what's going on doesn't have a whole lot to lose."

"I'm not a child Gally! I can make my own choices! And more importantly, I DON'T FUCKING NEED YOU TO SAVE ME!"

Before she realized what she was doing, she found herself standing on her tiptoes for the second time that day so that she could come chest to chest with him. She was panting and a fire blazed in her eyes, wild and fearless.

He was on her in an instant, all tongue and teeth and.... _him_.

It was as if a coil of tension had been tightening between the two of them and it had finally snapped. His mouth was hot and needy and she was melting into it. It didn't take long before he had backed her up far enough that the back of her knees hit the bed and they both toppled over in a tangle of limbs. His mouth left hers in favor of traveling quickly down her throat. Her hands came up to yank roughly on his short auburn hair, gasping desperately as he found a particularly sensitive spot on her neck. His own hand found it's way beneath her shirt, nails digging into her stomach as it traveled up and up-

BANG!

"Rosie! Can you hear me?! If he's hurting you I swear I'll break this bloody door down!"

Gally groaned, shifting his pants to try and hide the obvious hard-on (and failing miserably).

"I-I'm fine Newt. G-Give me a sec." She did her best to appear as if nothing had happened. At best, she might be able to pass it off as a heated argument.

Which wasn't entirely untrue.

The lock turned beneath her fingers and she almost fell over backward as Newt charged in. He was heading straight for Gally and she knew this couldn't end well.

"What the hell you bloody psychopath?!" He shoved hard on Gally's shoulders but Gally barely budged. It was enough movement for Newt to notice the bulge in his shorts.

"You sick fucking bastard." He hissed through clenched teeth as his fist collided with Gally's cheek.

To her surprise, Gally did not react. He simply stood there, his face turned away from the impact.

Newt was already leading her down the stairs before everything really set in.

That had gotten serious fast. If Newt hadn't showed up when he did...

Despite everything that had just happened, Newt spoke calmly, "it's alright now love. I've got you." His arms were tight but comfortable around her shoulders as he pulled her into a hug, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"I...I'm OK Newt. He didn't hurt me."

Newt pulled her away, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "Are you sure Rosie? Because if he did anything to you I'll have him banished before he can even bloody blink."

"Really I'm OK. I'm worried about the new kid though. How is he?"

Newt was scratching the back of his head, something he did when he was unwilling to tell her the whole truth. "He'll be fine after he calms down a bit."

Footsteps and heavy panting behind her made them both turn to see Chuck running toward them.

"There you are Rosalind! The Greenie keeps asking for you from the pit!"


	5. Set The Sky On Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt and Rosie seize the opportunity.

It turned out that the pit was Chuck's way of addressing the small jail that they were currently housing the Greenie in. As she drew closer to the reed doors, she found the boy sitting as far away from them as possible. His back was pressed against the jagged, rocky wall of the cell and he was wringing his hands nervously. He was handsome up close, with his warm brown eyes and toned frame. It took him longer than she had expected for him to notice her approach but when he did, he crawled up to the bars and pressed his hands against them anxiously.

  
"Hey there," she tried.

  
The questions poured out of him, "where am I? Why am I here? Why can't I remember anything? Why did you help me?"

  
"Woah woah sweetie! One question at a time."

  
He was visibly shaking and the only thing she could think to do to calm him down was to press her own hands against his from the other side of the bars.

  
"It's going to be alright. This place? We call it The Glade. All of the people you've seen? They woke up in that box just like you. In fact, I've only been here about three days. You just sort of have to accept it." She knew that none of this would make him feel any better. But the faster he acclimated to his new life, the better things would be for him.

  
The kid looked around behind her as if he expected someone else to have come along. "Your boyfriend seems to think I'm a horrible person..."

  
She scrunched up her nose at that, "boyfriend? What boyfriend?"

  
The Greenie looked genuinely surprised. "That boy who stopped you when you tried to come and help me?"

  
"He's not my boyfriend," she laughed. "I'm not seeing anyone. Or at least, not that I know of..."

  
If she were to pick a Glader to be with, would she pick Gally? There was certainly something between the two of them. But there was also someone else who seemed to occupy her mind about as often as Gally did.

  
Newt was smart and funny and a great person to be around. She didn't know how Newt felt about her but if she had to guess, she'd say he thought of her only as a friend.

  
"Where are all the other girls?" He asked suddenly, "you are the only one I've seen."

  
"That's because I'm the only one here."

  
He didn't seem too surprised by this information. Instead, his expression was laced with concern as he scanned her face to determine if she was being honest with him. "Is that why you aren't seeing anyone? Because you're meant to...Ne-Nevermind."

  
He looked suddenly uncomfortable and pulled his hands away from hers. "I-I mean I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I'm not really sure how it works but I'd be more than happy to have a chance with you. I-I mean you are a very pretty girl..."

  
He was rambling now, clearly trying to save face and avoid hurting her feelings at the same time.

  
"You...You think I'm The Glade's resident whore don't you?"

  
His face went beat red. He felt awful for accusing her of something like that when she was clearly going out of her way to be kind to him. Hell, he didn't even know her and he was already making judgements. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to insult you. It's just...Well...With all these guys around I just figured they would...I mean that they wouldn't leave you alone."

  
To his surprise, she just giggled. "It's OK. I get it. I can honestly say at this point, I haven't slept with anyone. That doesn't mean I wouldn't. I suppose I just don't feel like it's something I should stop myself from doing if I end up wanting to..."

  
Her face went from relaxed and happy to vacant in an instant. "I may not get a choice though. I'm much weaker than everyone else here. I think even little Chuck could take me if he really wanted to. If they decide they want me regardless of whether I'm willing, there isn't much I can do. I think it's very telling that you just got here and you've already thought about the reason they sent just one girl. I bet everyone else is having similar thoughts."

  
She wasn't sure why she was telling him all this. She didn't know him at all and Gally had very clearly warned her not to talk about her thoughts and theories on the issue. The pressure of the Greenie's fingers wrapped around her own brought her back out of her thoughts.

  
"Hey now. Not everyone's a bad guy right? I'm sure there are plenty of people who would protect you if it came to that."

  
And he was right.

  
Both Gally and Newt had proven that they would be there for her if she needed them. She gave the newbie a genuine, appreciative smile.

  
Someone cleared their throat from behind her. She turned to see Alby staring intently at their intertwined fingers. It took her a second too long to let go and compose herself.

  
"Didn't mean to interrupt. I just came to give the Greenie a tour before the bonfire."

  
"We're still having one?" She asked.

  
"Yeah. We'll just welcome both of you tonight."

  
She nodded her agreement before making her way back to the Homestead.

  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
The fire danced in swirls of orange light as several boys threw in torches soaked in gasoline. Blazing so brightly it was almost blinding, it reminded her of the day she came to the Glade, scared and alone. Things were different now. In such a short time, she had come to care for the boys and in return they treated her like she belonged.

  
The skull of a young calf had been mounted in the center of the blaze. It stared at her with it's empty sockets as she sat alone on the grass, her back against a thick log. Gally had given her a dark, bitter drink to sip on, claiming it was his specialty. He was currently sitting with the other Builders. They were telling stories and laughing on the other side of the fire, barely visible behind the flames. He was already noticeably tipsy and, with how quickly he was downing that stuff, he wasn't far from drunk. He would glance back at her and grin from time to time. She had just started to drift off with the warm glow of the fire lulling her to sleep when Newt plopped down beside her with his own drink.

  
"Hey love," he cooed. His grin was as wide as ever.

  
"Hey Newt."

  
"So how's it going? I mean after what happened earlier...I just wanted to see how you were getting on." His tone was so genuinely caring that it made her feel a little guilty about what she'd done with Gally. He was staring at her with that lovely wide-eyed expression, patiently waiting for a response.

  
But she had nothing to say.

  
She couldn't tell him what had happened with Gally earlier that day. He would surely hate her for it...

  
After a few minutes of awkward silence, Newt pounced.

  
He grabbed her round the waist and she squealed in surprise as he drug her over to him and sat her down between his spread legs. He pushed her shoulders back so her head rested in the crook of his neck. "It's alright love. You're ok with snuggling up to a shank like me, right?"

  
She could feel him smirk against her cheek. "Although to be fair, you did offer me more than just cuddles earlier today."

  
She wasn't sure if it was because she had been drinking or if it was just another unexplainable wave of confidence that made her turn to face him with a playful grin spread over her lips. She purred, "you think I was joking?"

  
She leaned into him and rose to her knees, taking care to make sure her back was arched enough for him to see the curve of her ass. One hand rested on his knee as the other traveled slowly up his thigh, stopping far from where she really would have liked to touch him...

  
She wanted him to want her.

  
Needed to drive him crazy.

  
She was beginning to realize she craved this kind of attention. The hungry looks, the dilated pupils. Everything about it was intoxicating.

  
She wanted Newt... _now_.

  
And that's exactly what she got.

  
Unlike Gally, Newt leaned in slowly and gently pressed his lips to hers. She didn't miss his hands twitching to touch her anywhere they could but settling instead for cupping her face. his tongue was soft against her bottom lip as he asked for entrance. She answered by biting down hard on it, making him gasp and shiver.

  
"My...Room?" He managed to say between hungry kissed. "People...Might see us..." He clarified, clearly afraid he'd push her away if he was blatant about what he wanted.

  
They managed to make it all the way to the door of his room without making any contact and that was clearly far too long for the both of them in their current states. Newt Wrenched the handle open and kicked the door in with his foot so it swung wide and she could follow him in. He was just about to turn back around to her and pick up where they left off but she pushed his shoulders back. The look of confusion and hurt on his face almost made her heart sink but she knew what she wanted and it wasn't to stand around making out all night.

  
"Lie down on the bed."

  
He was eager to please her and did as she asked instantly. She climbed onto the bed after him, crawling up to straddle his hips. Knowing she should take it easy for both of their sakes, she pressed an agonizingly slow kiss against his bottom lip, pulling back quickly so that he arched up to chase her lips. She leaned back down and peppered feather light kisses on his cheek and down his neck. his hands were still shaking at his sides. He clearly wasn't sure what she was OK with. She grabbed both of them and pressed them against her hips, silently indicating that she wanted him to hold on. Once he got the hint, he squeezed gently on the flesh there. She sat up straighter, bracing her hand on his stomach as she ground down on his cock.  
"Fuck." He whimpered, his voice cracking in the most adorable way.

  
Her hands ran along his stomach, brushing against his waistband every now and again. As soon as she felt he was was sufficiently hard (if you had asked him, he would have called it painfully hard), she began to unfasten the buttons on his pants as slowly as she could.

  
"What do you want Newt?" She teased, taking the zipper in her teeth just to hear him groan. It had to be rough for a teenage boy, having only his hand (and maybe a helpful friend if he were at all interested in members of the same gender) to keep him company.

  
"Please," he whimpered pathetically. "Bloody hell....Want your mouth..."

  
Flashing him a Cheshire grin, she blinked innocently, "My....My mouth? My mouth where?"

  
He couldn't take anymore teasing...

  
"Fuck Rosie! I want you to suck my cock! I want to feel your hot mouth wrapped around it. Please let me come."

  
That was all the encouragement she needed.


	6. The Beauty Of A Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Contains smut.

It did make him a little jealous.

How she seemed to know exactly what she was doing. It was like she'd done it a hundred times. And maybe she had, neither of them really knew.

He didn't mean to tangle his fingers in her hair and pull on it so roughly. He definitely didn't mean to tug her head down until her nose met the curly blonde tuft of hair that grew there and her hands dug into the sheets beneath them.

He was a chorus of 'please,' and 'fuck,' and 'yes, do that again.'

She had started with the head, ghosting puffs of breath over him, but never really touching.

He nearly cried out when she finally did wrap her lips around his swollen member, taking every bit until he could feel the back of her throat. He felt her swallow several times, struggling to take him entirely. Her warm mouth was torture as she slide back and forth on his cock, almost leaving him all together before sliding back down to completely engulf him again.

With a sly deliberate smirk, she pulled back off of him. He started to protest but it died quickly in his throat as she instead chose to run her tongue along the vein on the underside of his cock, her hand squeezing him round the base.

It was tormenting him to keep from simply gagging her on his dick until he burst. But he tried to remain as gentle as he could.

She even managed to bring a spike of pain that made him whimper in what could only be described as ecstasy when she nipped at the flesh just beneath his head.

He knew he wouldn't last long if she kept this up...

Her tongue slide across the slit several times before she pressed him back down on her tongue, using her hands to increase the pressure in a gesture that reminded him of the way someone might rub a quickly melting popsicle back and forth on their tongue on a particularly hot summer day.

It became too much for him to bear when she began sucking hard on what she could fit comfortably in her mouth and stroking the rest roughly with her hand.

"Rosie," he panted, fighting to get the words of warning out.

"Going to...Can't..."

The words seemed to register as she peered up at him, all swollen lips and long eyelashes. It was so hot.

But she didn't stop.

She just worked him harder, twisting her hand in a way that should have been painful (but was anything but) and pressing his cock up against the roof of her mouth as her tongue pressed against the underside once more.

That was it. He came hard, clinging to the sheets and biting his lip to keep quiet.

She didn't even bat an eyelash.

Just swallowed every drop he had to give before pulling back off of him with a soft pop.

His heart was racing and his chest rose and fell in quick succession. His breath was still coming out in short pants when she plopped down beside him, wiping her lips off on the arm of her shirt.

"Hope that was acceptable." She mumbled, seeming suddenly embarrassed.

His voice sounded hoarse upon answering, "are you kidding me? It was more than acceptable, it was bloody wonderful actually."

He pulled her into his arms and held her to his chest, she could hear his heartbeat and it was somehow soothing.

"Are you going to leave?"

"Well, I don't think anyone's going to miss me...That is, if you are alright with me staying?"

She answered by burying her hands in his shirt and closing her eyes. He couldn't help but laugh. Not even bothering to right his clothes, he held her tight as they both drifted off to sleep.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She woke up an hour later to a loud banging on her door. She stumbled out of bed and wrenched it open, only to find little Chuck staring up at her.

"Hey Rosalind," he pushed past her and flicked on the light, as though it was normal for someone to simply let themselves in without being asked. Knowing Chuck, it was probably common place for him.

It took her entirely too long to register that Newt was still in the room.

"CHUCK WAI-" she grabbed his arm and they both stopped dead. As soon as she made contact, a sudden warmth spread through her chest and by the look on his face, she could sense that Chuck felt it too.

_Recognition._

She knew Chuck. They had somehow met before this mess.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Newt groaned, sitting up and wiping sleep from his eyes.

He looked over at Chuck and didn't miss a beat, "evening Chuckie. What can we do for you?"

He wasn't embarrassed in the least and Chuck followed his lead. "Just came because Alby asked me to make sure the Gree-Err...Rosalind was alright. Gally was freaking out and wanted to come himself but Alby said something like 'go calm yourself Gally, you're in no state to be alone with a woman in her bedroom.'" Chuck attempted a poor impression of Alby's voice but laughed. "You should have seen Gally! He was stumbling around like crazy!"

With Chuck's job done, he turned to leave. "Well I guess I'll tell the guys that you've got it covered Newt."

Her heart dropped into her stomach, "NO!...I-I mean...Can you keep it a secret Chuck? Me and Newt would rather not tell people about our...Uh...Sleep over." She tried.

That was apparently all it took for Chuck to actually register the situation. "Oh," he whispered, it was the first time she had heard him speak so quietly. His face went beet red and he was finding it difficult to make eye contact. "I...Well I didn't know you guys were...Well...Umm."

There was nothing he could think to say.

She sighed, "listen Chuck...Sometimes guys and girls just get lonely and they...Well...."

"WOAH!" Chuck held his hands to his ears, "I know what sex is! I'm not that stupid..." He whined. "Are you keeping it a secret that the two of you are dating then?"

This was getting more and more uncomfortable by the second...

"We aren't...dating...Per say..."

"Oh...So you're just fucking then." Chuck tried to act casual about it all. He even gave an uninterested shrug.

She was pretty positive she had never been so embarrassed in her life. Newt took over for her. "That's right Chuckie. Though I suppose it depends on how you define fucking...But regardless, you can keep this quiet, can't you?"

Chuck just nodded and hurried out the door.

Once he was gone, Newt grinned and gestured for her to come back to bed.

"That sure was something," he laughed.


	7. If Tomorrow Never Comes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Note:Note: I apologize for the late update. I went to Comic Con last weekend and I'm leaving for Hawaii in a few hours so I will be gone for a week. Please bear with me if it takes me a while to write the next chapter.........
> 
> Thomas ponders the future

Gally was still angry when she came down to breakfast the next morning. Though she supposed the cause was a mixture of her ditching him at the party and his overconsumption of alcohol the night before. She had asked Newt to leave the Homestead first, under the guise of checking to see how she was doing and waking her up for breakfast. She came out soon afterward; only to find the Greenie waiting for her at the door. 

"Hey Rose!" 

She couldn't recall telling him her name and she certainly wouldn't have called herself that....

Seeing the slightly baffled look on her face made him blush and he stammered over the rest of his words, "I'm Thomas by the way! Gally knocked my head on the ground hard enough to bring my name back."

"That's great...Tom." She tried to imitate the casual way he addressed her. It felt a bit awkward but it made the raven haired boy's grin widen. 

"I was wondering if I could sit with you today?"

"Sure thing Greenie!" She winked and led him by the arm to the far off table that she had claimed when Chuck joined her a few days prior. 

"Despite what everyone says, Frypan is a pretty great cook." 

But he was too busy watching her to worry much about how the food tasted. 

She seemed familiar in some way. But, like everything else, he couldn't truly remember. She had a wonderful smile that made his chest tight. Her voice was warm and sweet as honey even though she pronounced things funny at times. She ate almost too delicately, taking the tiniest bites and not even making it halfway through her meal before giving up. He supposed this was due to the stress of the situation they were in. He found himself wishing he knew more about her, though he was painfully aware that it was impossible for her to tell him anything.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" The crooked, toothy grin made it clear she was teasing him.

"I just...I don't know...You're very interesting to look at."

He knew that was the wrong thing to say as soon as the words left his mouth. She frowned and began feeling across her face as if trying to find some anomaly. 

"I guess I haven't actually seen myself...What's weird about me?"

He grabbed both of her hands in his own to calm her down, as she had done for him when he was in the Pit. "Nothing! You're just really cute! Honest..."

Now they were both blushing. "Oh...Hey! You haven't seen yourself either have you?" He shook his head.

"Let's go over to the lake and have a look! Hopefully we'll get a better idea that way."

She didn't give him a chance to protest as she scooped up their plates and rushed over to drop them in a tub of water. He didn't have the heart to tell her he wasn't done with his...

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The lake wasn't far and she practically skipped the whole way there. He had to admit, he was a little curious as well. Though he wouldn't tell anyone this, he really wanted to know what she saw when she looked at him. She was already leaning dangerously far over the lake when he came up beside her. 

The first noticeable thing about him was his hair, thick and dark with a few curled in pieces along his forehead. His eyes seemed to be brown but he couldn't tell what shade they were through the murky waters. He wasn't thin but he wasn't overly muscular either. He could see her reflection right next to his, frowning as she tried to pull her hair back far enough that she could actually see past it and craning her neck to get a clear view of as much of her face as possible.

"It's...not what I expected." She settled on after a long pause. They were close enough that their arms brushed when she shifted to look at her profile. 

Last night, he had spent a good chunk of the evening searching for her. Something about the girl was drawing him in. Maybe it was the way she had risked herself and her relationship to the other Gladers to make him feel welcome. 

After what felt like forever, he had finally plopped down behind a fallen tree that the Gladers were using as a bench and gave up his search. 

"Hey," it had been Minho who found him there. He had a jar full of some dark liquid in his hand.

Minho had given him some very helpful information about what he might face here in the Glade. 

Grieves, Runners, a maze; it was all so confusing and he had gone to bed feeling overwhelmed.

She seemed to be the only other thing on his mind as of late and he felt a new fire lighting up his gut. If he might die any day or time in this hell, he might as well live a little while he still could...

He grabbed hold of her shoulders without a word. She didn't have time to think, let alone react as he quickly pressed his lips against hers. 

It was soft and gentle but there was still some sort of spark. The feeling was similar to what she felt when she touched Chuck, a flash of memory flooding her veins.

But this recognition was by far more sensual, where the memory of Chuck had felt platonically friendly. 

She blinked rapidly in surprise as soon as he pulled away.

"What was that for?" She murmured.

"Because I like you." He answered plainly. To him, it seemed only natural that he would be so bold now that he knew the challenges they would face. 

Her heart was beating rapidly against her ribs. She told herself it was due entirely to the feelings these flickers of memory were giving her but she knew the kiss also contributed. 

He was all smiles, though there was a hint of surprise buried deep down that he was trying his best to hide. 

He had felt it to, that flutter in his belly that felt so familiar. 

She wanted to try it again, to see how much she could remember. 

To feel him against her...

In an instant, she grasped a fist-full of his shirt in an iron grip and yanked him roughly down until their lips met in a frenzy of passion. His hands were in her hair and hers fell on his upper arms without missing a beat. The electric feeling returned but did not progress into any real memory. 

Neither of them truly cared. There was a confident lust blooming between them that surprised her.

It would have gone on much longer if a kid she didn't recognize hadn't shouted over at them. "Hey Greenie! Help me get this calf back into the barn would you?"

They broke apart with a tiny gasp. His eyes were darting across her face. Maybe he was memorizing her features. Or he could have been trying to read her reaction, she wasn't sure.

Either way, she was sad to see him go.

Once she was completely alone, she found herself wandering into the Deadheads. Her thoughts were focused on all three boys. They each had very different personalities and brought different traits to the table. Would she really have to choose just one?

After tripping over a rough patch of earth, she finally looked up at her surroundings. The trees were tall and they shaded the area well. The ground was littered with debris and the dirt seemed far more uneven here. 

It took about two seconds for her to figure out why.

A few feet to her left stood a graveyard. Wooden crosses were scattered around the area and nailed together in crooked, haphazard fashion. Crushed or broken skulls were piled under a particularly large cross with the name 'George' etched into it. 

She was just about to get a closer look when a rustle of leaves behind her made her jump out of her skin.

Goose flesh raised up on her arms as she considered the possibility that a Griever could be just behind her, and there was no one here to save her. 

She spun around stiffly, ready to fight or flee whatever might be lurking.

It was Ben. 

He looked sickly, his face sunken and his eyes bulging. His teeth were bared like he intended to attack. 

But she had met Ben. He was nice and friendly and she was convinced he wouldn't hurt her. So she breathed a deep sigh of relief. 

"Ben! You scared the klunk out of me!"

He didn't speak. His arms shook and he swayed side to side but did not say a word.

"B-Ben?" She spoke cautiously. Something was very off about his behavior. Maybe she should be afraid...

Are you alr-" The force of his body slamming into hers took the breath out of her lungs with a strangled gasp. A hunk of something was slicing into the skin of her back and Ben had grabbed hold of both her wrists, forcing them up above her head.

"Filthy cunt!" He spat and she cringed. She couldn't fight him off, she could only try and reason with him.

"Ben! I-I don't know what you mean! Please Ben! Please! I'll do whatever you want! Just don't hurt me!'

Tears were streaming down her face and a terrible panic was welling up inside her.

"I'm going to show you how much of bitch you really are...I'm going to make you suffer for what you've done...This is all YOUR FAULT!"

He yanked her pants down to her thighs in one quick motion.


	8. Nothing Left In My Lungs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, my thoughts they seem to reflect like mirrors in my head - Silhouettes by Echos

Ice cold fear laced with the heat of embarrassment seemed to mingle in her blood stream as Ben pressed three fingers against her opening.

With no preparation and no lubrication, it hurt like hell...

She could feel his fingernails digging into her flesh as he wriggled them wildly in a rush to open her up.

She couldn't breath.

Her heart seemed to be lodged in her throat.

No matter how badly she wanted to cry out, to scream, to do _something_ ; no sound passed her lips.

He didn't even bother holding her down anymore, preoccupied with the torture he was inflicting on her body and content to keep his other hand just below her throat in case she tried to struggle. Her nails dug into the dirt on either side of her head.

 _'Close your eyes,'_ she thought. _'It will be easier on you if you just give up...Give in.'_

She could feel her hands relaxing as the words soothed her anxious mind.

Yes. Giving in was the best option.

She was good at giving up.

Her eyes were already sliding shut when she noticed something large and beige brushing up against her cheek.

Unconsciously, her fingers curled around the side of the object and found it smooth to the touch even though there were several small cracks along the top.

There was a hollow place beneath her pinky and, as her thumb curled around to brush underneath it, she felt jagged and uneven tips.

 _'Skull,'_ her mind supplied. _'There were skulls on the forest floor.'_

That's right. She was in the Deadheads wasn't she?

The gardens were close by and beyond them, the builders would be working on her new bedroom. Then of course there was the blood house...

Her eyes shot open.

The Glade! The Boys! She had to get their attention!

She snapped out of her hazy resignation in the blink of an eye.

Why should she give in? She had people who cared for her. People who would protect her at all cost.

Grasping the skull with both hands, she slammed it into Ben's temple. He stumbled backward and grew still for a second, clearly stupefied by the blow. She had just enough time to shed her pants and yank up her panties before he was clawing at her ankles as she took off.

But Ben was a runner. How could she possibly get away?

He was stumbling along behind her, she could hear his angry huffs of breath only a few feet away. She decided it was best to make as much noise as possible. Screaming at the top of her lungs and stomping on sticks every chance she got, she made it all the way to the clearing before Ben's strong arms wrapped around her thighs, taking her to the ground with enough force to bruise her ribs. She clawed at the earth in desperation and frantically kicked out at whatever part of him she could reach. He was snarling like a mad dog, ripping her underwear off of her and tearing at the buttons on his pants to free himself. He lifted her onto her knees with one quick jerk. One hand moved to hold her hip in a crushing grip and the other to grab a fistful of her hair, forcing her to hold her head up to avoid pulling it out.

"This is what you deserve." He hissed, rubbing his cock against her ass cheek few times.

She gave one last desperate cry for help before she felt him pressed against her cunt. All he had to do next was push in and...

WHAM!

The resounding thunk made her head throb and, with the sudden loss of Ben's support, she collapsed in a heap on the ground. The world spun around her in a blur of movement and jumbled voices. Someone grabbed a hold of her shoulders and she flinched away from the touch. The only thing that seemed to pull her back to reality was Gally's voice.

"I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL THAT BASTARD! LET ME FUCKING GO! YOU'RE DEAD BEN! YOU HEAR ME?!"

"G-Gally?" Her voice was strained and hoarse from screaming but he answered her none the less.

"Rosalind! Shit...At least let me go to her!"

She scrubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt and they cleared enough to see three Gladers barely managing to hold Gally at bay. Two others were holding Ben down on the grass but he still snapped and snarled and clawed at the ground in manic fury for several seconds before going completely limp. There was a look of utter confusion and fear that settled in his eyes, as if he had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there.

Chuck placed a hand gingerly on her shoulder and she realized with a sharp pang of guilt that he had been the one she had shied away from moments before.

"You ok?" His voice was uncertain and he was doing his best to keep his eyes turned away from her so she could keep some small remnant of dignity.

It helped.

"Y-Yeah. He...He didn't..."

She choked on a sob. Newt and Thomas were on her in a second. Newt held her in a bone crushing hug that made her ribs ache almost unbearably and Thomas stroked her arm tenderly. From where she sat, she could still see Gally fuming. If he had been free she could almost guarantee that he would have rung Ben, Newt, and Thomas's necks in turn. Alby emerged from the crowd of disorganized Glader's with a stern, leaderly glance at her and then over to Ben. Ben looked more terrified than ever. His eyes were wide as saucers and his hands clenched tightly.

"No...No." He whimpered.

But Alby showed no sympathy for the mad man and commanded the Gladers holding Ben to lift his shirt.

Veins of blue so deep they looked black webbed out from a raw, red hole in Ben's stomach. He was begging them for mercy but no one seemed to hear him. Every face grew pale and petrified at the sight of the festering wound.

"He's been stung," someone mumbled, "in the middle of the day?"

Seven people had to drag Ben to The Pit. He screamed and struggled and cursed the whole way there.

She was too tired to care anymore. Someone must of have carried her to Newt's room because she woke up hours later with a blanket around her shoulders and the cut on her back dressed. She was still naked from the waist down but she was glad no one had tried to dress her, she was embarrassed enough as it was.

It took her a moment to notice Newt was tangled up in the sheets next to her.

He must have been so worried...

They all must have been worried.

She scooted up to him, pressing her back to his chest and bringing his arm up onto her waist, lacing their fingers together once she had settled. He must not have been sleeping deeply as this movement woke him immediately and he blinked down at her.

"Hey," she croaked. Her voice sounded so small and pitiful and it perfectly mirrored how she felt.

It seemed like Newt could sense her weakness because he pulled her even closer, nosing her hair affectionately.

"I'm here for you love. I won't leave you alone in a place like that ever again."

She swallowed but she didn't speak, knowing full well she wouldn't be able to form a coherent sentence. Newt didn't seem to mind this though and soon they were both fast asleep.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She woke in a cold sweat. Thoughts of Ben and what could have happened, not to mention the extent of what had happened, fresh on her troubled mind.

Newt was just getting out of bed, his hair stuck up at odd angles but he looked well rested. It made her feel terrible for confiscating his bed all this time and for leaving him no choice but to sleep either on a hammock or on the cold ground.

"Rosie," his voice was stiff. It was obvious that he didn't want to tell her what was on his mind. "Rosie...We had a gathering last night...And we decided...To banish Ben for what he did to you...You don't have to come or anything but I thought you ought to know."

She sat silently for a moment, letting this news set in.

Banished? What could that possibly mean?

She wanted to ask Newt to tell her exactly what they planned to do to him but decided against it. She wasn't even entirely sure she could handle knowing.

"No. I will come. I feel like I need the closure. I feel like I _should_ go."

Newt sighed but did not argue.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone went about their day as if nothing had happened. The only problem with this was that plenty _had_ happened and no one seemed to be able to keep the looks of pity from their faces when they looked at her. Even though most of the Glade seemed to be on her side, a few of Ben's friends shot her furious scowls when she passed by.

The day dragged on for an eternity. She tried her best to work through it all even if the Med-jacks had advised against anything labor intensive, quoting her mental state and bruised ribs as reason enough to rest.

But resting was torture. Her mind kept running through the details of yesterday's attack or focusing on what was going to happen during the so called banishment.

By the time the Gladers had gathered around the entrance to the maze as they were instructed, she felt full panicked.

She knew deep down what they were going to do. She had known it from the moment Newt had told her that morning. She just could not bring herself to believe it until now.

But in this moment, as Ben was dragged to the center of the watching Gladers with his arms bound behind his head and his eyes so full of terror that it made her breath hitch, she couldn't stand it.

"Please," she whispered weakly to Gally, "tell them to stop. Don't let them do this. No one deserves this."

Gally's hands grasped the strange pole he was holding so tightly that his knuckles went white. "He deserves every second of this and more," he spat. "Even if he hadn't done what he did, he has still been stung by a Griever and there is no coming back from that."

Minho dropped Ben onto the dirt and cut the ropes that bound him. She watched in terror as the Keepers used their poles to push a struggling Ben through the quickly closing gap in the maze doors, his screams echoing off the stone walls in a howl of anguish.

He was gone.

And he wasn't ever coming back.


	9. Like You Do

She couldn't help feeling guilty.

What Ben had done was horrible, there was no denying. Yet, at the time he'd honestly believed that she was responsible for all the pain and suffering that the Gladers had endured.

But why _did_ he think she had anything to do with it? As far as she was aware, no one had any memories of their lives before The Glade. Maybe Ben was different? Or maybe there was some evidence here in the Glade that made her seem suspect? She wished someone would have asked him before they banished him for good.

Whatever the case may be, she was one of the last to leave once the Maze doors closed. She half expected to hear Ben's screams continue on even after they were shut but all was eerily silent. She trudged back toward the Homestead with a heavy heart. She didn't even notice Gally's approach (which was odd considering he walked like a bull on stampede) until he pressed his hand to her back and began guiding her in a completely different direction.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see in a second."

His voice was flat. There was no indication of what he might be feeling and for him that was unusual. With Gally's long strides, it didn't take them long to reach their destination. A small building had appeared virtually overnight in the farthest corner of The Glade (directly beside where Gally usually slept, she noted).

"Is that?..." She started.

"You're room," he finished for her, puffing out his chest just slightly.

"I spent the day finishing it. There is a shower that can only be reached from the inside so you won't have to worry about anyone bothering you. Let's go in."

It was sparsely furnished, containing only a bed, a small dresser, and a night stand. Her clothes, which had come up with her in the box, were still folded neatly in the crate they had come in.

"Well," he mumbled, "is this going to be ok?"

"Oh Gally."

She spun around to thank him but as soon as she saw his face (sunken, tired eyes that were still so eager to please her), she lost it.

Whatever tears she had been saving up the night before now flowed like a river. She threw herself at him without hesitation, trusting him to support the added weight.

He didn't hesitate either. His arms were twice as big as her own and yet he managed to hold her gently. She felt like she was melting into his touch.

"Rosalind," he breathed.

The emotion in his voice was enough to make her come undone. This was her Gally.

"Please...Please don't let go..."

She didn't think she could handle it if he left her now. She didn't want to face the world without him there.

Gally tossed her easily onto her new bed and curled up next to her, nuzzling her neck possessively.

"Mine."

It sounded more like a growled command than a loving utterance but it didn't scare her away. If anything, it made her feel safe and protected. She hadn't even realized she was whining and squirming for more until he pointed it out.

"You're shaking."

"I'm not...I...Just need you."

This must have bolstered his confidence because he instantly moved from nuzzling her neck to pressing his lips against her own in a hungry kiss.

The sight would have seemed odd to anyone who might've stumbled upon it but she didn't feel frightened or upset by his brazenness, even so soon after her attack.

Maybe it was strange but it felt like Gally was kissing away every touch Ben had forced onto her. His hands left a trail of fire as they traveled up and down her sides.

At first the touch was comforting but it quickly became clear that his intentions weren't nearly so innocent.

He was becoming bolder by the second. Flicking out his tongue to touch her lips, he noted how soft they felt and vaguely wondered if all girls were like her.

His tongue traced her upper lip a few times before pressing passed it to taste her. It wasn't a taste he could characterize easily but if he were to give it a description, he'd say it was sweeter than he had expected (maybe she had eaten sweets with dinner? It wouldn't surprise him. She seemed partial to fruit).

Her tongue timidly came to life, following after his own. Everything she was doing was causing his dominant side to kick into overdrive. He hadn't really noticed how prevalent that part of him was until the time they had found themselves fighting in Newt's room. When she had screamed at him and stood up in his face, he had needed to take back control. She wasn't in the wrong of course, he knew how jealous he could get. Yet he also knew she was his and he wasn't willing to share.

This whole Ben fiasco had only made it much, much worse and he would be damned if he was going to lose her to anyone else.

He climbed on top of her, taking in her flushed cheeks and red, kiss swollen lips. The way her eyes seemed glazed and her heavy lids were already half closed drove him wild and he dove back down to nip and lick at her exposed neck. She tilted her head submissively, giving him better access.

There was something about Gally that made her act this way. With Newt, she had been completely in control and with Thomas it was a mutual sort of respect. Maybe it was how big and intimidating Gally was or maybe it was the way he carried himself that made her want to give him anything he wanted.

His breath ghosted over her partially exposed collarbone and she shivered, weaving her fingers through his hair. He didn't waste any time pulling her shirt up and over her head and tossing it across the room. His hands caressed her shoulder for a split second before moving back around to unclasp her bra which joined her shirt on the floor.

She didn't expect him to stare at her like he was.

Her arms twitched self consciously as she fought to avoid covering herself up. His eyes swept across her chest, arms, and stomach; taking in every detail they could. It was like he was worried this might be his only opportunity.

"Umm...Gally?" She tried and his eyes snapped up to meet hers.

The nervous twitch of her nose and the desperate need for his approval that he saw written on her face spurred him on.

With a questioning tilt of his head he moved in to touch her. She didn't bother responding to the unspoken request, knowing full well that as long as she didn't push him away, Gally would take her silence for consent. His hands were calloused and rough against her sensitive nipples which had immediately stiffened when they had met the chilly air in the room. She bit back a whine of discomfort at the odd feeling.

Curious fingers traced around the areola and then moved out to cup her breasts fully. His eyes moved back and forth between where his hands moved in slow circles and her flushed face.

This was so unlike the normally rough and tough Gally that he had been not two minutes ago. She knew his nerves were holding him back. Hoping to take the edge off, she exaggerated her arousal.

"Please Gally."

She pressed his hands down harder against her chest, kneading herself with his hands and grinding her pelvis up against him just a little to let him know what she wanted. He gave a needy grunt that made it clear he had gotten the message and within seconds, his mouth was on her. His tongue traced around her nipple roughly, grasping her other breast in a firm, almost painful grip. Her head lolled back and she couldn't be bothered to care about muffling the whimpers and whines that passed her lips.

The weight of his chest against her hips was not unpleasant. Rather, it made her body ache for what she hoped would come next.

Gally lifted himself back up to get a better look at her. His hands roamed lower, sliding down her stomach to grip her hip bones.

She followed his lead once again, going instantly for his waistband. His hands stilled completely in favor of focusing his attention on the way she pulled at the buttons shyly and took his zipper down as slowly as she could.

It was an awkward angle to try and shimmy out of his pants and she fumbled with working to slide them off of him for several moments.

With an irritated growl, he stepped back off the bed and stripped himself completely within seconds.

Her heart caught in her throat.

Standing beside the bed like he was, he really towered over her.

His chest felt like a massive expanse of bare skin and muscle from her current point of view and it rose and fell heavily with a mixture of embarrassment and excitement.

His cock was as big as she ever could have hoped for. Long and thick, it lilted upwards slightly and twitched with anticipation.

With a flutter in her chest, she realized that this was their relationship. Gally was a brainless brute and she was a manipulative monster. They didn't need to try and be modest or impress one another, they just needed to be who they were. Of course they could be sweet and romantic for a short time but all either of them truly wanted to do was ravage the other.

Whatever nervousness she held onto dissipated the second she realized this.


End file.
